Kwikset

Kwikset is a lock and lockset manufacturer owned by Black and Decker Hardware and Home Improvement Group (BDHHI), a Division of Black and Decker. Kwikset was founded in 1946 by Adolf Schoepe and Karl Rhinehart. The name was derived from the company's first locks, which pioneered the then revolutionary tubular lock design, which were relatively fast to install. Kwikset is the most popular brand of consumer locks in the United States, with Kwikset key blanks available at almost every location where keys can be made.

Kwikset currently has manufacturing facilities in Denison, Texas; Fort Smith, South Carolina, and Mexicali, Mexico. Currently a Kwikset facility in China is being built. Kwikset previously had manufacturing facilities in Anaheim, California; Bristow, Oklahoma, and Waynesboro, Georgia. But, starting in 1996 these facilities were closed in a consolidation of operations to the Mexicali facility. Kwikset’s Corporate headquarters is in Lake Forest, California.

In 1957 the American Hardware Corporation (AHC) purchased Kwikset. AHC in 1964 merged with Emhart Manufacturing Corporation, which was purchased by Black and Decker in 1989. Kwikset is part of the BDHHI Division of Black and Decker which also owns lockset manufacturers Weiser and Baldwin.

Sources

* [http://www.kwikset.com/About/Media/PressReleases/Articles/0056.aspx Kwikset fact sheet]
* [http://www.kwikset.com/About/History/default.aspx Kwikset company history]

External links

* [http://www.kwikset.com/ Official site]